Christmas is a time of Hallmark Hall of Fame Christmas movies, green and red M ‘ M’s and… finals. You know that saying, “can’t live with ’em…” Uh, right. This could be applied to the dreaded reality we know as finals. Even the term “final” connotes a negative image. What, will one last test provide closure after a semester of classes? We’re not dating the course!
Many Fairfield University professors include a final test which usually counts for about 30% of a student’s grade for the semester. Think about your roommate eating 30% of your Snickers bar. Or, a 30% chance that you won’t graduate – even in five years. Perhaps most striking of all, a 30% chance that J.Lo and Ben Affleck will never marry (sorry to break the news). Now, my math ability is probably equivalent to that of a cardboard cutout of Sly Stallone. However, I know those aren’t good odds – and everyone who’s been to Foxwoods knows that the House always wins. This means that you can easily go from an A to a C. Christmas really is a time of miracles!
If you’re ever feeling sick of FU -visit Sarah Lawrence College In Bronxville, New York. A tour of SLC is like an episode of the Jamie Kennedy Experience. Highly recommend it. One great thing about SLC is that students receive written evaluations chartering their strengths and weaknesses. Formal grades are recorded in a student’s transcript. Kudos to SLC for really promoting learning and not a student’s GPA.
Evaluations are beneficial to a student because it points out where they’re excelling and where they need to improve. A grade points out a mere number – it doesn’t necessarily accurately measure your mastery of the subject. It would be as though you asked a friend, “Are you going to watch “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” tonight? She replies: “no”. Other than shocking you, that “no”, like a final grade, is meaningless. However, if she replies, “No, I’m not going to watch the ‘Daily Show’ because I’m going out to dinner with Jon Stewart”… Well, need I say more?
Faculty members can remember the rigors of taking final exams. So, why do they insist on subjecting their students to the same useless practice? Students don’t study, they stress instead. As I write this, I’m extremely stressed. So stressed, I could bottle my stress and sell it to New Age Californians who believe it is an alternative to Fen Phen. Father Kelley, what better way to reach out to your students and end your quarter century reign than by eliminating final exams and substituting written evaluations instead?
Plus, this smart and healthy move would certainly bring plenty of free press exposure (remember that when deciding whether to raise tuition next year). Although we are in Connecticut, we can still be cutting edge. Let’s get a leg up on those other Jesuit schools and end the barbaric tradition of finals. Sorry – I would say more but I have to study.
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